Sussex MPs’ expenses revealed

SUSSEX MPs spent over £2million on expenses over the past year, official figures have revealed.

Members of Parliament across the county had bills of between £101,000 and £196,000, with spending registered for requirements such as accommodation, travel and office-running costs.

The figures were compiled by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), ranking Strangford MP Jim Shannon as the highest claimant of all MPs at £264,505.

The highest expenses in Sussex were claimed by former Bexhill and Battle MP Gregory Barker, who racked up costs of £196,654 – the sixth highest in the country.

The lowest was Worthing West’s Sir Peter Bottomley, who ranked as the 20th lowest in the Commons by claiming just £101,477.

Mr Bottomley did not claim accommodation expenses, however.

East Worthing and Shoreham MP Tim Loughton, whose £193,589 expenses were the second-highest in Sussex, said he had incurred extra expenditure this year.

He said: “I had a lot of extra expenditure last year to pay for cover for an employee on long term sick leave and that is simply added to expenses. “Secondly there had been an underpayment of rent to my landlord for the flat I rent in Westminster and compensating payments were included for last year again adding to the total.”